Berlin: 'Personal transportation device' proves a great way to get around German capital
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We had been in Berlin for two days, taking the U-Bahn to several historic sites and walking, walking, walking. By the end of the day, our feet hurt.
My husband, the optimist, thought he had the answer. Would I be interested in doing a City Segway Tour the next day?
Immediately the picture of a child’s scooter came to mind. Isn’t that one of those skinny scooters that kids use? No, he patiently replied, it’s one on which you stand on both feet — a self-balancing personal transportation device with two wheels, according to Wordnetweb.
I was somewhat relieved and agreed to go but was still anxious. The weather report had a 30-percent probability of rain; perhaps the tour would be canceled.
The next day dawned with cloudy skies and intermittent sunshine; there was still hope. But as we made our way to Panoramastrasse 1a, behind Alexanderplatz, I knew it was going to happen. Our tour guide, Charles, was like an old mother hen, patiently teaching us older folks (I’m 53) how to safely mount, dismount, go, stop and navigate sidewalks and curbs. We practiced, in our safety helmets, for 30 minutes.
I admit that once I stood up on the Segway, relief and then triumph washed over me. It wasn’t that difficult after all.
My confidence turned to sheer delight as we made our way from the Panorama Tower to the Rotes Rathaus, Marienkirche, Marx-Engels-Forum, Bebelplatz (site of the Nazi book burning), Gendarmenmarkt and then on to Checkpoint Charlie, the best-known Berlin Wall crossing point between East and West Germany during the Cold War.
We enjoyed refreshments at a local cafe and then mounted our Segways to see a surviving segment of the Berlin Wall up close. Charles was knowledgeable as well as considerate, answering all of our questions with the skill afforded a learned scholar of German history.
The next stop was the Luftwaffe Ministry and the Death Strip Tower, where a remaining guard tower is a reminder of how serious the Soviets were about preventing massive emigration and defection to the West.
We then viewed Potsdamer Platz, completely flattened with the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961. This public square and traffic intersection is in the center of Berlin. Our next stop was Hitler’s Bunker on Gertrud-Kolmar Strasse, the site where Adolf Hitler and his wife, Eva Braun, died.
Fittingly, we went next to the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, a distance of less than 600 feet. Peter Eisenman, a New York architect, designed this memorial of 2,700 concrete slabs, arranged in a grid pattern covering nearly 5 acres. No names appear on the slabs, heightening the sensation of becoming one of many faceless victims of the Holocaust.
Another mile and we arrived at the Reichstag, the seat of the German parliament. This landmark boasts a glass dome in which visitors can look onto the plenary hall and see government in action. Then we Segwayed south and east approximately a mile to arrive at the Brandenburg Gate, the symbol of a unified Berlin. Then, on to Unter den Linden (under the linden trees), a beautiful boulevard lined with lime trees, to arrive at Museum Island, the site of five famous museums, granted UNESCO National Heritage Site status in 2000. Then it was back to where we started.
During our tour, we covered well over six miles, enjoyed the advantage of being part of a small group and ended with a sense of accomplishment. I wish I had taken this tour the first day I arrived in Berlin.
Make your reservations early as the tours fill quickly and take place rain or shine. Contact City Segway Tours Berlin at www.CitySegwayTours.com/Berlin.
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